Oil Tanker Owner Seeks Release Amid Baltic Sea Sabotage Investigation

The owner of the oil tanker suspected of deliberately damaging a subsea power line and telecom cables in the Baltic Sea is seeking the release of the ship. Finnish authorities seized the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S after it was believed to have caused the destruction. Baltic Sea nations have been on high alert following a series of outages in critical infrastructure since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Investigators allege that the Eagle S broke the Estlink 2 power cable and damaged four fiber optic lines by dragging its anchor across the seabed.

Finland’s president expressed concern that further damage would have occurred if the ship had not been stopped. The Finnish customs service suspects that the Eagle S is part of a shadow fleet of aging tankers used to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil sales. The cargo on board has been impounded, but the ship’s owner, United Arab Emirates-based Caravella LLC FZ, has filed a request with the Helsinki District Court to cancel the seizure.

The owner’s lawyer, Herman Ljungberg, criticized Finnish authorities for what he described as the “hijacking” of the vessel. He claimed that the crew had been interrogated without legal assistance and deprived of sleep. However, a police spokesperson defended the seizure, stating that it was carried out in accordance with Finnish law and that the crew had been informed of their rights, including access to legal assistance.

The case of the Eagle S highlights the tensions in the region, with NATO announcing plans to increase its presence in response to the incidents. The investigation into the alleged sabotage of the power line and cables continues, as authorities work to determine the full extent of the damage caused by the tanker.

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